


Piece Of Mind

by petitfleur (moonfleur)



Series: Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby [8]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Eventual Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 15:31:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21101777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonfleur/pseuds/petitfleur
Summary: Doyoung sees it happen, sees it way before the other boy even notices it’s happening. He sees it in the way his shoulders seem to droop, in the way he seems to curl into himself, curls, even more, when the trainers or the managers take him aside to whisper comments into his ear.





	Piece Of Mind

**Author's Note:**

> I am SUPER behind on this challenge now but I am not giving up! This is for days 14 & 15 of #00fftober and I had no idea when I wrote this that it's the 4-year anniversary of Dotae's duet (which is where the title is taken from), so this is dedicated to that now. Happy 4 Years Dotaezens ❤︎ 
> 
> For those who haven't heard the song, you can listen to it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SIOGkxd_B0)

Doyoung sees it happen, sees it way before the other boy even notices it’s happening. He sees it in the way his shoulders seem to droop, in the way he seems to curl into himself, curls even more when the trainers or the managers take him aside to whisper comments into his ear. He sees it in the shadows that ring his eyes, the shadows that seem to grow darker and longer as each day, no, each hour, passes. He sees it in the frown that creases deeper on his brow whenever someone messes up, forgets a step, and then in the speed with which the frown is replaced by something less severe, something more gentle, before he allows himself to speak. 

He sees it right now, the way his whole body has gone rigid, the way his hands that are clenched into fists tremble at his side. But it is when his head lowers, and he breaks eye contact with their dance instructor, who has to be giving him some less-than-savoury comments, that Doyoung decides he’s done watching. Turning back to the members he’s currently running through choreography with, he tells them to continue, to keep practicing, that he has something he needs to do and that they are, under no circumstances, to slack off in his absence. He tells Taeil that he’s in charge and gives Jaehyun a pat on the back when the younger boy shoots him a worried look. 

He walks right up to where the instructor is still gesticulating wildly at a boy whose mind probably isn’t registering any of his words any more. He clears his throat as he approaches, giving the instructor ample warning that he has things that need to be said. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’ll have to take Taeyong away from you now. I’ve just been told he’s needed elsewhere.”

Their instructor frowns at him, as if he wants to ask for evidence of another schedule, but Doyoung flashes him that smile he uses when he’s daring someone to challenge him. All cold edges and so sharp it could cut down anyone’s intentions. He knows he will probably get in trouble later on, but decides whatever punishment he gets will be worth it as long as he gets Taeyong out of the practice room. 

Their instructor nods once, curtly, before turning away from them and heading towards the rest of the group members. Doyoung grabs the still-unresponsive leader by the arm and leads him slowly out of the practice room, out of the building and into the night. It is only when they are outside the building, and a taxi has been called, that Doyoung finally addresses Taeyong. He turns toward him, slowly, and without any sharp movements, the way someone would approach a terrified animal. He allows the hand that is still holding onto Taeyong’s arm to slide slowly down so that he can hold onto his hand instead, interlacing their fingers gently. 

“Hey.” He says.

No response. 

“Taeyong, please.” He whispers, stepping closer, as gently as he can. “It’s okay, it’s just us now.”

Taeyong blinks at him, but that’s all he gets. Sighing, he glances around quickly before lifting his free hand to cup his leader’s face gently, thumb stroking his cheek slowly. “Can you say something, _ please _?”

Finally, Doyoung hears Taeyong exhale, as though he’d been holding his breath the entire time, and the leader’s eyes lock onto his. 

“Doyoungie?” He chokes out, voice barely louder than a whisper, and then he crumbles, tears spilling out over his red-rimmed eyes, sobs echoing in the silence of the building’s carpark. Doyoung immediately pulls him in, CCTVs and curious eyes be damned, and wraps an arm around him. Relief floods through him when Taeyong slinks his own arm around his waist, anchoring himself as he cries into his chest. 

“I… can’t… do it… anymore.” He manages in between huge sobs and Doyoung feels as his heart shatters into a million pieces. 

“Shh,” He says, carding a hand gently through Taeyong’s hair. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” That only makes Taeyong cry even harder and Doyoung tightens his grip around him a fraction, sighing softly into his hair. “Let’s go home.”

And Doyoung takes him home. Not to the dorms, no, but Taeyong’s home. Their home. The one they bought in secret a couple of months ago, citing investment opportunities even though they both knew it was just an excuse for them to have somewhere they could escape to. Somewhere unbeknownst to anyone, even the members. Somewhere just for them.

He leads a slightly calmer Taeyong into their tiny living room, seating him gently on the couch before crouching down in front of him. He cups Taeyong’s cheeks with both his hands, thumbs brushing away the occasional tear that falls. Leaning forward, he rests his forehead against Taeyong’s, their noses just touching. 

“Breathe, baby. You’re okay now. We’re home.” He waits until he sees Taeyong nod in affirmation, swallowing another sob, before he smiles gently. “Stay here, okay? I’ll get everything set up, just the way you like it.” 

A small smile breaks across the leader’s face for the first time in what must have been days and he nods again, firmer this time. Doyoung smiles wider and presses a gentle kiss to his lips, stroking his cheek once more for good measure, before straightening up. 

He heads into their bedroom, setting the kettle to boil on his way there, and grabs the giant fluffy blanket that is lying across Taeyong’s half of the bed as well as the laptop lying on his. He hooks the laptop up to their TV and drapes the blanket around Taeyong, making sure to tug it tight, before he heads back into the kitchen to get their drinks ready. The smell of chocolate perks Taeyong up almost instantly and he looks up at Doyoung expectantly, eyes glistening in the dim light of the room, as he walks back into their living area with a tray and two steaming mugs on it. Doyoung smiles back at him as he sets the drinks down on their coffee table. 

“Don’t drink it yet, you’ll burn yourself,” he warns and Taeyang sniffs indignantly, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. 

“I know.” 

Doyoung chuckles at the other boy’s tone, relief flooding through his system. He sets the laptop up quickly, motions familiar as he pulls up Netflix and selects ‘Frozen’. Taeyong is already humming along to the opening number by the time Doyoung seats himself beside him, pulling the smaller boy closer to him. Taeyong settles into his chest, wrapping his arms around Doyoung’s waist and throwing the blanket over him at the same time, a satisfied hum escaping his lips. 

Doyoung smiles into his hair and presses a kiss into the crown of his head. 

“Feeling better?” 

Taeyong’s arms tighten around him as he nods, burrowing deeper into Doyoung’s chest. “Thank you for noticing.” He mumbles, small. “For always noticing.”

Doyoung looks down at him then, fingers hooking under his chin so that he can tilt Taeyong’s face up towards him. “Hey, I promised, remember? I’ll always be there for you.” He leans closer and rubs their noses together. “Especially when you can’t be there for yourself.”

The look that passes across Taeyong’s face at his words makes his heart clench and he presses their lips together. Taeyong melts into the kiss, arms tightening around him as they pull him closer. They let themselves enjoy the kiss for a while more before Taeyong pulls back, eyes glassy with emotion as he studies Doyoung’s face.

“I love you.”

Doyoung smiles and sneaks another kiss in, a soft one this time. “I love you too. Now, watch. You’ve already missed the first ten minutes.” 

Taeyong scowls at him, “And whose fault is that?” But Doyoung just shrugs, laughing, and pulls him closer. 

On the TV, _ Do You Want To Build A Snowman _ plays.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this, if you've made it this far! The prompts for Days 14 & 15 were Film and Comfort Object, so I hope I managed to satisfy them in this piece.  
To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this still but if you liked it, let me know in the comments or leave a kudos, it would really be greatly appreciated!❤︎
> 
> ❆ [twitter](http://twitter.com/moonfleur_)   
❆ [cc](https://curiouscat.me/moonfleur_)


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